PHOTO: Pop-Up Museum Coming to Famous Fairmont Prison
From Thursday, March 3, through Sunday, March 13, the historic Eastern State Penitentiary (located at the intersection of 22nd Street and Fairmount Avenue) will present Pop-Up Museum: Sports & Leisure, an exhibition that chronicles in detail the lives of some of the most wicked and nefarious criminals in America during the 19th and 20th centuries. This will be its fourth annual public display.
The exhibition will include rare prison relics, including photographs, paintings, weapons and crafts the inmates made while serving time within the walls. For the first time ever, there will also be a screening of a 1929 film about sports played at the penitentiary.
Eastern State Penitentiary opened its doors in 1829 and sought to do away with harsh, garden-variety forms of punishment. Inspired by the nonviolent Quaker mentality, Eastern State’s staff hoped to not only right the wrongs committed by the criminals they housed but also guide them toward more socially acceptable ways of living. Prisoners were sequestered from one another and subject to hard labor. (These methods, however, were amended over time.) After more than 140 years of crime, reformation and unbridled mystery, the prison closed up shop in 1971. For a complete history, visit Eastern State Penitentiary’s website.
Pop-Up Museum is included with regular admission. The cost is $14 for adults, $12 for senior citizens and $10 for students and children between the ages of seven and 12. You can buy your tickets here.